worrying times in pp

[eleanor]

Gosh this is surprising! As you say - so near yet so far! I think that people do like to think they have value for money and I feel sure your are right that the beer companies must be competitive throughout the island. I wonder where all those Brits are staying as Can Picafort is a somewhat smallish place? Also wonder where the Germans have gone?
Eleanor

 

[eleanor]

I propose a round of applause to Pollensafan! You've quadrupled the daily forum usage with one post. You've also stated an opinion which I share in relation to prices but was reluctant to post.
I took issue with the dual pricing operated in some bars this year also. If prices were deemed to be fair, then it shouldn't be necessary for some of the bars to charge lower prices to locals. It is also the case that the some of the restaurants are being charged monstrous rents by the PP property mafia which they have to pass on in the form of higher prices. A small number of people were raking in a huge amount of money...until it went too far this year.

Pollensafan - 848 views with 40 replies since yesterday!! - You certainly have us all thinking! Look forward to more. Very constructive and enjoyable. Thank you.
Eleanor

 

[pollensafan]

Eleanor, I can tell you where the germans have gone- nowhere. According to german figures 40% stayed at home this year and as for can picafort being small i wonder when the last time was you visited because i hardly recognised it. It must have trebled in size since the last time i was there.

 

[eleanor]

You are right Pollensafan - I haven't visited for a few years. Again that shows how things can change and quickly and how I for one, just think PP ---Not good!! Maybe I need to hire that car on my next visit after all. lol
Eleanor

 

[Rangers1]

I have been reading these posts and lots of good points made. I have to say i took more money this year to overcome the exchange rate. We have looked at places like turkey and yes its a lot cheaper but flights are much dearer.

If things dont change in the port then it will suffer a slow death i feel that some places in the port are going totally over the top on prices and we saw that the resturants that are always at the higher end of the price scale have not moved on price this year but others i feel have moved their prices up to try and nick a bit of the higher end of the market.

Just my thoughts and we have only booked 8 days next year with 8 days in Cala D'or but we have just worked out with flights 1 villa 1 apartment and car hire plus spending money will total £6000 not so sure it was a good idea to book.

 

[BonysLad]

Calm down my dears !!!!,

Afraid all these posts just reflect the pain I described on page 1 we are all having to go through. We will come out at the other other end and rip offs , hopefully , will be a thing of the past .

The Market will decide , if we have to pay 50 centos more for a pint of San Miguel and drink it here rather than Cala Ratjada , I'm sure many will.

What's obvious from all the posts, everyone loves it here.

The local businessfolk ain't gonna chuck that goodwill away, or they will do so at their peril !!!!

BonysLad

 

[Tonsyl]

Thank you Jackie for saying many things that most of us recognise and maybe some don't want to. We may not have been going PP's way for as long as some but we have noticed a change in the last few years and, as I have posted before, not for the better, which we feel is a shame. A year or so ago we were planning to buy in the Port but due to the recession, didn't and I'm glad we didn't as I cannot see the future of the area is secure, as has been said in previous posts on this thread. Unfortuantely there are too many rose tinted spectacles in use and not too much reality for PP's own good.

 

[Pollpott]

I've just read all the posts here on this subject. All very interesting and quite sad. After coming back from PP in July this year I also felt that there was something missing - people mainly, as it was a lot quieter than last year. I felt sorry for some of the restaurants. A number of them were practically deserted most evenings, with the staff trying to entice people in. But as mentioned here, people will just not pay over the odds for food and drink. My attitude has always been - well, I'm on holiday, so I don't mind paying a bit extra for nice service and surroundings and good food. But I think it's just becoming too expensive.
It would be nice hear from some of the restaurant owners for a change. See if they can give us a good enough reason for the inflated prices. If they say that their costs have increased or the rates have rocketed then that would go some way to explaining the increases. But if they over-charge just because they want to make as much as they can in the high season then I'm afraid they are going to pay for it in the long run.
Having said that, I think I'll still be going to PP next year! But I'm still thinking about it. Turkey, no thanks. It just wouldn't be the same.
T

 

[Chelseadons]

Don' t blame the Pollensa restaurateurs blame the British government. A 60 Euro meal was only £40 4 years ago, today for holiday makers the pound and Euro have reached parity and the same meal costs £60 !! Its inevitable with a 50% price hike due to the exchange rate we all think PP is now really expensive. Saddo that I am I keep details of my expenditure going back years and the price of meals charged by the restaurateurs have changed very little. In fact it always amuses me that the price of a pint in the bars has never varied from 3 Euro's for as long as I can remember. Some places are more expensive than others but thats inevitable. They always were, however compared to home before the fall in the pound even they were still good value for money. If the budget doesn't stretch then you have to avoid these places and perhaps cook in a little more often. We can't avoid the facts that 2009 has seen the credit crunch and whether home or away we all have to cut our cloth accordingly. Having just come back from PP after 3 weeks away I actually thought the port was remarkably busy but it is true there were a lot more foreign speaking voices everywhere mainly German and eastern european. I very much doubt whether the German visitors believe PP has changed much at all over the past 4 years other than for the better. There are some establishments really making an effort to respond to the Brits problems Tango at 16 Euros for menu of the day is ridiculously good value, and Stay at 32 Euros is fantastic value when you realise it includes starter, complimentary taster, main meal, water, sweet, bread and olives, half a bottle of wine, IVA and frequently a complimentary brandy !!

If the government don't fix the economy and the exchange rate doesn't improve then PP will remain expensive and Brits will have to look elsewhere for there summer vacations if budgets don't allow .Once the worldwide recession is over PP will continue to prosper however, as the rest of Europe using the Euro and the Eastern Europeans discover the place and experience its charm. The problem for us Brits is that PP and its surrounding bays remain the most beautiful venues you will find anywhere in the world and replacing it as your favoured holiday home with something better will be extremely difficult.

My tip for those of you going out soon. Remember all the reasons that make PP so wonderful and accept that you need to shop around to make the budget stretch. There are plenty of VFM establisments to be found and the things that are free like the beaches and bays and mountain walks are better than ever !!

Chelseadons

 

[Pollpott]

Chelseadons,
I think you hit the nail on the head..."The problem for us Brits is that PP and its surrounding bays remain the most beautiful venues you will find anywhere in the world and replacing it as your favoured holiday home with something better will be extremely difficult."

Which is why we return year after year. (I just hope the prices come down a bit!)
T

 

[Sparky]

Well said Chelseadons. Aside from the British governments failings, which are many, i wish people would realise that Spain has also been badly hit by the economic crisis. The local people and businesses have seen huge increases in costs here and i think they have done well to maintain the prices they charge, in fact some have actually reduced their prices.
As for Turkey, i have a friend who has gone there for years and whilst yes it is still cheap he says there has been a 25% price hike in the last year .

 

[pollensafan]

Chealseadons, I have read your post and i am astonished you say the prices have altered very little over the years. I to am quite sad and in front of me now i have a copy of a menu from one of this sites most favourite restaurants (judging by the posts) It is 3 years old. Fact - the food prices for it's standard fare are 35% up and it's wine menu for the same named wines has gone up 42% comparing it with this years menu.If thats prices hardly changing as you say, then god save us from a sharp increase.

 

[pollensafan]

Sparky, As you say spain has been badly hit by the economic crisis and that is because it's main economy is based around tourism. Which brings us right back to where i started this post.

 

[mallorcaboy]

I started to read this thread, but couldn't wade through it all, so, sorry if I repeat what has already been said.
I have been attached to PP since about 1984 and have seen lots of changes, some good, some bad, and some I liked to moan about because I'm getting old. However, now we have sold up and live in UK again we hadn't been back really for a couple of years.
We all certainly have some kind of emotional attachment to the place, and because of that, we tend to over look any little things we don't really like. However I have just got back from a week in the Port, and I am somewhat disillusioned.
Obviously the exchange rate is a major blow. Everything is certainly more expensive because of it, but we were charged 2.95 Euros for a packet of crisps and a donut. Even at the old rate, that is still £2.10. I know you can get a pint in Magaluf for 70 cents and of course you get everything else that goes with that kind of drink culture, but there must be a mid way between their prices and those in the Port.
We do tend to eat at the higher end of the market, Stay, Can Cuarras etc, but now with the rate as it is, we were paying £100 for a meal for two. However, there is no excuse for some of the prices being charged. A friend of mine said whilst we were there that he thinks regarding the global recession, the Mallorquins are in denial, and I think he may be right. There were definitely fewer people around in the Port, so I think they just hike up the prices to make up for the short fall. "Oh, Mallorcaboy", I hear you say, " "you are a grumpy old tourist", and maybe I am, but added to the observation of how tatty the Port is starting to look and very surly treatment in some of the shops, I fear for it. Expensive food and drink, disappointing service, poor exchange rate, and non EU counties only extra hours’ flight away, the next few years may see Puerto Pollensa suffer. It's just like any service industry. You have to give the consumer the best or they will find someone else who can.
I guess, in truth, we're still going to keep going back, but Turkey is going to be our main summer jaunt next year.
You're right you know, mallorcaboy is very grumpy

 

[Belladonna]

I tried to copy and paste the article from the Daily Mallorca yesterday, but obviously failed. It was concerning the drop in the amount of aircraft into Palma in the past year, which obviously equates to the extreme loss of tourists too. Everything is pulling against Mallorca in general at the moment, and the North will suffer more than the South.

I get concerned also with our natural pessimism with everything and then blow it up to twice its size. Thinking of house prices in uk and general downturn which the media made far worse by pushing the negative side of things constantly.

Things are bad, there is absolutely no doubt about that, but I think as soon as we can get all the moaning about it off our chests, we should concentrate on how to make the best of it if we still like being there.
Posts then helping us to "vote" with our feet as well as our wallets could benefit all round.
I for one will definately be changing my shopping to Mercadona rather than just stop off at Euroski.
Posts that help with good value restaurants can save those with families trecking round.
We already have a good few posts on car hire, or other methods of saving money on travel.
Those who try to make a quick buck out of tourists will then be left high and dry until they realise that we do have a choice, and we choose to make it!

As there are many of us who for one reason or another wont quite give up on PP for a while yet, lets start getting our act together to see if we can find the positives to help with the finances.

 

[WRIGHTSTUFF]

Here here belladona.

 

[Sparky]

I post this with respect to everyone.
Hi Mallorcaboy and as i have said Turkey is already on the slippery slope.

Hi Pollensafan, i have re- read your original post and can't find any reference to Spain and the economic crisis.

No rose tinted glasses, i live here now and pay the same prices as the tourists and the locals. Admittedly i may get a drink on the house or sometimes get served quicker in my regular haunts but no special prices.

 

[Tonsyl]

Mallorcaboy, I have just read in your post what I feel, (with the exception of Turkey) well said.

 

[pollensafan]

Hi Mallorcaboy, Hope your doing okay. How right you are when you say the mallorcans are in denial. The feeling is among the bar owners it's all the fault of the euro and when it recovers they will all be back. Well i am a betting man and i'll take a wager that folk wont because at the risk of sounding like a broken record folk will have found what they feel are better alternatives.To those who feel that they cant see what all the fuss is about i ask you one question. When was the last time you strolled along pine walk and had waiters poking menus in your face pleading with you to come in their restaurants ? and no i'm not talking about the chinese folk but the main show restaurants along the pine walk. Thats what i experienced the last 4 days of my holliday. Hastily drawn up blackboards offering free bottles of wine with a meal. The phrase Horse,Door and bolted comes to mind.

 

[Sparky]

Hi Bella, once again we post at the same time.
I agree with what you are saying, it's "Glass half full or half empty" syndrome.
I choose to keep mine half full but i am an optomist..
Also as i have said before, if anyone feels they have been ripped off in an establishment please don't just make a general statement, tell us who is guilty so we can all vote with our feet. Equally, keep tellins us about the value for money places. The positives will out weigh the negatives.